Along Came a Spider

No, I am not kidding… I once met a man named Spider; he proved it by showing me his business card. I remember it distinctly because the business card was all black, except for the name “Spider” spelled out in the very middle of the card in silver lettering. Then, when you flipped the card over it read “Let me entertain you.” 

Classy Spider… very classy.

Although I highly doubt Spider was the moniker given to him by his mother, it fit him for sure. Spider had a shaved head, half covered by a monstrous tattoo of a spider web that spread down his neck. He wore all black clothing with chains hanging out of every pocket. He even had a mini-chain stretching from one of his ear piercings to the piercing in his nose. He was quite a sight.

My cousins actually introduced me to Spider. They have a gift for meeting up with the most interesting people. How they met Spider- I am not sure, but I think that there was probably some flirting going on. It was a beneficial relationship because flirting with Spider allowed them to ride the Pharaoh’s Fury as many times as they could handle... for free. (Pharaoh’s Fury is the ride at the Sandwich Fair that swings back and forth making all the riders lose their stomachs repeatedly for two to three minutes at a time.) Because I was their cousin, I got free rides too.

My interaction with Spider lasted only two days during the Sandwich Fair and that was probably fourteen years ago. Now, whenever I walk through the midway at the fair, I wonder where he is now and what he is doing. I can’t help but think that the life of a carnival worker would get tiring very fast. They are always moving, always dealing with the constant lights, the noise and the smell of carnival food. By the end of the Sandwich Fair (Wednesday through Sunday) - I am glad for a year-long break.

Spider… wherever you are… thank you for the free rides all those years ago. I hope you are well.

I Faired Alright

The 2011 Fair has come and gone.  It was truly a great year for the Fair, especially concerning the weather. It was cool and crisp everyday; making my three unbelievable bites of cinnamon roll all the more memorable (I was so good about resisting the Fair food- you would be proud). 

The only downside to the Fair this year--The only truly irritating part of the whole week-- I didn't place with my entries like I thought I was going to.  I received only three 3rd place ribbons; one for my pineapple jam, one for my oatmeal bread and one for my mild salsa.  My banana bread didn't earn any ribbons this year. I don't know what to think about that recipe (a purple ribbon one year and nothing the next- hmmm).  What surprised me most though, was my apple nut muffins because I'm telling you- they were incredibly scrumptious/addicting.

Perhaps the judges were having an off day?  Or maybe they burned their taste buds at the tea & cookies contest prior to judging?  Or maybe...

I highly doubt it. One day while I was sitting at the Ag Land Pavilion listening to a live radio recording- I overheard the DJ interviewing a judge from the Home Arts Building.  Turns out, the guy is a certified master baker. I guess there are less than 200 master bakers in the whole United States (or so he said). Sounded pretty serious.

In the end, there's a choice to be made--Do I sit and pout about only taking home three ribbons (which really isn't too shabby) or do I buck up, act like the adult that I am and move on with my life.

Hmmm...I think I'll sit and pout just a wee bit longer...

And THEN I'll start plotting my revenge against this master baker by baking the most amazingly moist, flavorful, lowfat carrot cake with cream cheese frosting that this world has ever tasted.  I'll serve it to Hubs and he'll lovingly tell me I'm awesome and that I could be a master baker.  I'll tearfully agree and then finally, this whole ridiculous episode will be behind me.... Until next year. 

Hubs heading in Wednesday night

Heifer judging... It's a whole other language.

Mini hay bales for a dollar

The man on the right is 94 years old- still at it.

We love the Fair!

Here are my 2010 Sandwich Fair counts:

Days attended: 3
Hours spent at the Fair: 25 (pretty low this year)
Cinnamon rolls consumed: 1 1/2 (I shared one with Hubby)
Thick milkshakes consumed: 2 ($3 this year, instead of $5 because the vendor was celebrating 33 years at the Sandwich Fair)
Chocolate covered bacon consumed: 2 bites (new this year- it is bacon dipped in batter and deep fried, served with a chocolate drizzle)
Bands listened to at Ag Land: 3 (Woodsugar, Patchouli, and some big band tribute to our troops)
Animal varieties seen: Too many to remember, but my favorite was the Angora Rabbit; it was so beautiful and soft to pet
Family members seen: 26 (I was particularly grateful to see my cousin who is in the Navy and his family- they recently moved back to the states from Japan)
Horse related activities attended: 3 (the draft horse show, the horse pull and then Hubby and I took our little nephew for a ride on a pony)
Rides ridden: 1 (the train that circles the antique steam engines, I rode it with my nephew)
Fair entries: 12 (pumpkin bread, chocolate zucchini bread, pear butter, peach jam, a Christmas cactus, and 7 greeting cards)
Ribbons won: 6 (blue 1st- my Christmas card and my announcement card, red second- my congratulations card, and white third- my pear butter, my Halloween card and my lovin' you card)
Mullets seen: 0 (unfortunately)

It was a wonderful fair. The weather was perfect- 70s each day, except for Sunday when Mother Nature had the audacity to reach 80 degrees. Hubby and I particularly enjoyed taking our littlest nephew to the Fair and not only because it was nice to dump all of our stuff in his stroller, but fairs always seem a bit more fun when there are little kids getting excited about this or that. In fact, my favorite moment of the whole Fair was probably in the cow barn when two little kids got super excited about a huge pile of cow dooky and yelled out, "Wow, that poop is bigger than Daddy's!"

I love the Fair!


I would like to give a shout-out to my little nephew S, who really loved the boat/bed I had on my blog a while back. You are the cutest, littlest guy in glasses ever!

You Can Find it on a Stick at the Fair

Today is the first day of the 2010 Sandwich Fair. I was telling someone at work about the fair today and she thought I literally meant a sandwich fair, with all varieties of sandwiches available for consumption. I suppose this was an understandable mistake because Sandwich is a fairly (haha) small town.

I have been attending the Sandwich Fair for as long as I can remember. Each year, my mom's side of the family gathers and helps prepare the fruits and veggies for entry. Hubby and I have been submitting our own entries for three years now.

This year, I managed to pull together seven greeting cards, pear butter, cinnamon peach jam, chocolate zucchini bread, and pumpkin bread. The results of judging have already been revealed to all of the Wednesday fair goers, but I want to wait and discover the results for myself on Friday. When I discover the results, I will let you all know. Fingers crossed please...

In the past, I have won my fair (haha again) share of ribbons. Actually, the first year I had entries, Hubby and I won a purple ribbon for our banana nut bread (overall best quick bread). Last year, I won a blue ribbon for my mexican monkey bread, my salsa, and my triple berry pie. I also won second place in the pork cooking contest with my orange pork tacos, topped with a cabbage slaw.

Beyond the fun of winning ribbons, the things I love most about the fair are seeing all of the animals (especially the cows in the dairy barn), the food, hanging out with my family... and did I mention the food. You can get everything on a stick at the Sandwich Fair. I've had deep fried Snickers on a stick, alligator on a stick, deep fried pickle on a stick, and cheese on a stick. I also love the kettle corn for sale near the Ag Land Stage and the huge cinnamon rolls for sale near the beloved Yellow Building (which houses the home arts). Sure, none of it is healthy, but you have to indulge a bit... it's only once a year.

Hubby and I also enjoy spotting mullets. Over the years, we've made it into a contest- seeing who can spot the longest, most heinous mullet at the fair. We've seen some real winners.

I look forward to sharing my fair stories with you soon. Have a blessed night!

Thanks to everyone who has been praying for my little doggie, Judson. He had a seizure his morning, but after spending the day under observation at the pet hospital- he is home and doing well. Only time will tell if he is going to have any more seizures. Hubby and I really hope not because it was freaky.